“…then when I when to hook up the positive it sparked, and the red dot on the charger was lit red even though it was not plugged in.”
Sounds like power from the battery (which is not dead-dead) is getting into the charger (which is not powered from the 110VAC). I would think the charger is supposed to have a diode (or something) in the output line to prevent this. I suspect that this diode (or whatever) has failed short-circuit. (And power from the battery then getting into the charger might have done some more damage.)
Try this – leave the charger disconnected from the battery, and try powering the charger. If the “red light” does not come on, or if the charger does not produce (nominal) 12.6 volts DC, then you have verified a failed charger.
Does the battery produce hydrogen gas all the time or only when charging? In other words what is the risk of the battery blowing up if it sparks again, as long as the charger is not plugged in?
Give up. Take the battery some place to be charged and checked. Preferably where you bought it in case it is defective. You still have not given the reason why it is not holding a charge.
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The battery has already been checked. I called AAA to jumpstart it since I bought the battery from them and they tested it and said it was fine. It died because I have not driven it in a month. Can someone answer the question I asked before volvo made his comment?
There’s several common causes for battery explosions. Short circuiting directly from + to - (with a metal tool for example) for any length of time could do it, if only from the rapid temperature build up inside the battery. Hydrogen explosions tend to happen at times when the battery is being discharged and charged rapidly, like trying to jump start a totally dead battery, especially on a car that won’t start easily even when cranked. Lots of rapid and repeated discharging and charging going on during all that. Which of course is a pretty common thing when jump starting somebody’s dead battery. Hydrogen gas can build up, then ignite with the O2 naturally in the air, when the cable is connected or disconnected for another try. The recommended jump-start procedure usually is to make the final connection well away from the battery, like on the other side of the engine compartment, and when done, unmake the connection from that same location, well away from the battery. Googling will bring up better explanations of the actual chemical reactions involved, and more detailed safety procedure to minimize the risk. I don’t trust batteries tho, and always wear eye protection whenever I handle them in any way. A battery holds about 40 amp hours of energy. At 12 volts, that’s about 500 watt-hours. For comparison, the electric heating element on a stove on high uses about 1000 watts; so the energy contained in a battery is similar to the amount of energy you’d get from turning a stove element on high and running it to heat water for 1/2 hour. If that all gave loose at once, it would be similar to a 20 quart pot of boiling hot water exploding. Definitely no something to treat lightly.
The battery produces H2 gas only when charging, but contains H2 gas all the time. That is why battery explosions are often reported when starting a vehicle. Can’t you make your last connection to metal (ground) away from the top of the battery?
I could put the negative cable on the strut tower, but will it still charge normal? It says in the manual to put it on the negative terminal. Also if it produces hydrogen gas when charging, is the trickle from a battery maintainer enough juice to make it produce hydrogen gas that could ignite?
Yes. However, you can solve all these problems by getting the Schumacher and attaching the “hard-wired” pigtail to the battery at the battery post clamp bolts.
The battery tenders that we install come with wiring and connector like this;
The connector for the charging unit is away from the battery.
Why not just drive around for an hour and then drive the car every two weeks and problem solved.
Like art1966 mentioned why not test the charger. Instead of connecting it to your battery connect it to your volt meter. Post back with your test results
Some years ago I had several problems with my 1995 Ford Contour, one of which was a dead battery. I took the car to a garage. Their first step was to charge the battery so they could start the engine. After the charging, the mechanic asked me to start the engine. The hood was open. Fortunately, the mechanic was standing on the side opposite of where the battery was located. As soon as I turned the key to start the engine, the battery exploded. Since I was inside the car, and the mechanic was on the side away from the battery, neither of us was injured. My dad was a mechanic, so I grew up in the 1950s working on cars. I had always heard that batteries could explode, but this was the first time I saw it. I now have new respect for this warning.
A single cell can fail and boil the acid while charging or starting the engine. The result is hydrogen gas. Usually the smell of rotten eggs and the bubbling of water out of the battery are obvious signs of a problem. when the battery case is filled with hydrogen gas and the gas is escaping from the vents a spark can ignite it and the battery case will explode. Cases these days are plastic and unless someone is standing very close to an exploding battery the greatest threat is the acid damaging the eyes. I have had 3 explode over the years and using normal safety precautions prevented any injuries. A cold, dry battery with no odor from the acid is “relatively” safe and the spark from a <2 amp charger making contact with the battery would be extremely unlikely to cause a problem.
My first contact with wet cell batteries was at a battery dealer 55 years ago and it was strictly parctical and common sense. But the shop owner used a 110v rectifier as a battery charger and kept dozens of batteries wired up, some in series and some parallel depending on their voltage and condition so he knew what he was doing. It ain’t rocket science. If you see or smell something coming out of a battery disconnect it and replace it.
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Just to update, I got another brand battery charger and it went on fine, no sparks. The harbor freight one was just defective. I’m actually kinda pissed at them for endangering my safety like that.
